Little Flowers
by CPMiller
Summary: Bull is watching Krem spar when Cole approaches him for help untangling a knot. Annabell is scared of demons, and too frightened of Cole's unusual manner for him to help her directly. After getting his horns decorated with flowers, he also talks to Annabell's mother. Rated M for mention of children dying and mention of parent/spouse death.
A/N: I said it was going to be a fluffy drabble. Well, it's too long to be a drabble, and the fluff is less cotton candy sweet and more of a bitter dark chocolate sweet.

Bull is watching Krem spar when Cole approaches him for help untangling a knot. Annabell is scared of demons, and too frightened of Cole's unusual manner for him to help her directly. After getting his horns decorated with flowers, he also talks to Annabell's mother.

TW mention of children dying and mention of parent/spouse death.

Little Flowers

"Put your back into it Krem!" The Iron Bull bellowed from the side of the sparring ring as Krem's shield bash was thrown back by his opponent. With spring swiftly warming into summer, even high in the mountains, Skyhold was seeing more green in the form of new plants and new recruits. A handful, like the young woman fighting Krem were showing surprising talent.

Krem blocked his opponent's heavy downward strike, wooden sword banging against wooden shield with a sharp sound that bounced off the keep's stone walls. Sliding back a few steps from each other, they faced off, circling the ring.

Tightening up his stance, the Tevinter mercenary, feinted toward his opponent with a sweeping strike of his own wooden sword. She shifted her shield to block the blow, but instead of a sword, Krem pushed forward hard taking advantage of the opening she created and slamming her backward with his own shield.

Too late, she realized her mistake. Before she could correct her balance, she was going over backwards, hitting the dusty ground of the ring. "Shit!" She managed one quick curse before the wind was knocked out of her.

"Alright! Good one!" The Iron Bull exulted, clapping his large hands together as Krem grinned and leaned down to help the woman up. He watched the grins spread across both their sweaty faces as she got to her feet with Krem's help. Compliments were followed by suggestions as they made their way out of the ring together, and a little smile tugged at Bull's lips.

Cole's voice interrupted his thoughts startling him slightly as the spirit boy seemed to appear at his side. "She doesn't understand him, but she'll try." Cole commented his gaze following the pair, before coming to rest on Bull's face.

"Yeah? That's good to know." His gaze dropped and he noted the line of tension in Cole's shoulders. "What's wrong Kid?" He asked concerned.

"I can't help her, but I think you can. Will you help, The Iron Bull?" Cole asked his expression pleading.

"Uh...sure Kid, but who am I helping?" He pushed off from the fence he'd been leaning against fairly certain Cole wasn't referring to the recruit.

"Annabell." Cole answered unhelpfully. "She's hurting, afraid. Her father died at Haven in the fighting."

"Shit. I don't know what I can do to help that Cole." The Iron Bull rumbled quietly, his voice heavy with regret. Too many good people had died in that attack.

"She's afraid demons will attack Skyhold. You can talk to her The Iron Bull. Show her it's ok to be afraid. Fear doesn't have to paralyze." Cole explained with almost astonishingly unusual clarity.

The Iron Bull grimaced as he followed the smaller man through the keep to the courtyard. "That's...I can try, but that sort of thing..." Bull huffed in frustration. "Talking about it isn't going to help her." He thought about his own methods of dealing with fear and doubted they would help.

"It might." Cole said, stopping at the grass his pale blue eyes leading Bull's one eyed gaze to a small human girl sitting by herself. She was picking small white flowers and tying them slowly into little bracelets.

Bull grimaced. His methods definitely wouldn't help. "Cole, I know you want to help her. _I_ want to help her too, but..." he frowned trying to find the right words as they watched the little girl.

"Big and loud. Scars, injuries, and horns. You won't frighten her. She watches you train with the Chargers sometimes. You remind her of her father. He was big and loud too. No horns, but many scars. That's why I asked _you_ to help The Iron Bull." Cole spoke reassuringly as Bull scratched at his right horn. "I can't help her." Cole said sadly. "She sees me too well. I just...frighten her."

"Oh." Bull stalled for a few moments, absorbing that information while Cole stared at him quietly, patiently waiting. Finally, he squared his shoulders with a heavy breath. "Alright. I'll try. Don't hold your breath though."

"Why would I hold my breath? I have to breathe." Cole said perplexed, but The Iron Bull gave no answer as he walked away.

Annabell's head jerked up as a shadow fell over her. Bright blue eyes squinted up at the qunari nearly four times her height. "Mommy said I could sit here and play with the little flowers." She said expecting to be told to move. That was usually the reason adults spoke to her. Either they wanted her to move or they wanted to know why she wasn't playing with any other children.

"If your Tama said stay put, I'm not going to tell you to move." Bull said warmly with a smile. "Name's The Iron Bull. Mind if I sit with you for a bit?" He asked after introducing himself, still trying to figure out how exactly Cole expected him to help just by talking. Maybe he could give her a better perspective on the issue.

"Okay." Annabell was puzzled for a moment as to why he would want to sit with her, and more puzzled still by the fact he would ask her permission, but she was happy to oblige. "My name's Annabell."

"Annabell. That's a pretty name. What are you making?" The Iron Bull asked as he sank down to one knee, brace clinking, then shifted his position so that he was sitting next to her one leg out straight and the other bent so he could rest an elbow on his raised knee.

"Flower jewelry." Annabell stated matter of factly, then, "I could make some for you." She offered a little shyly.

Bull chuckled. "Sure, but where would I wear it? I don't think they'd sit on my head as well as they do yours, and I'm not much of a bracelet kind of guy." He said touching gently the little crown of flowers she wore. Annabell looked at him with a studying expression, the tip of her tongue sticking out as she thought very hard about the problem.

Her little frown of concentration tugged at Bull's heart in an unfamiliar way. There weren't a lot of families with kids at Skyhold, and pretty much all of them didn't want him anywhere near their children. Some even had it in their head he would try and convert the little ones to the Qun. It was stupid, but he kept his distance to avoid trouble. It wasn't exactly hard to avoid them when he spent most of his time training, drinking, or out of the keep working.

"I know! You could wear them on your horns." Annabell declared as she climbed to her feet. She tied off the chain she'd been working on into a loop, then she placed it carefully over his right horn and slid it down to the base. "They're not as sharp as they look." She commented pressing a finger against the dull point of a horn once the flowers were in place.

"Ha, nope." Bull touched the little loop of greenery gently as if inspecting it with a serious level of consideration while Annabell watched holding her breath and awaiting his judgement. After a few moments, he met her blue eyes with his good eye and with a very serious tone said, "You're going to make one for the other side right?" His own grin was mirrored on Annabell's face as she nodded vigorously.

Delighted by his request she set at once to picking more flowers, selecting them with the same care she'd displayed earlier while tying them. "I can show you how to make them too, if you want." Annabell offered as she crawled through the grass on her knees looking for blossoms that were not too long and not too short.  
"Ah, thanks, but I'm pretty sure my fingers are too big." Bull answered trying to sound a little bit disappointed. Annabell paused in her picking and came over to examine his hands.

"Hmm." Annabell looked at his right hand back and palm, then picked up his left. Her fingers touched the two shortened stubs lightly, then traced the scar along his middle. "Yeah. Your hands are _really_ big, and the flowers are _really really_ small. It's ok though." She patted his mutilated hand consolingly and smiled at him. "I'll make them for you."

Bull bowed his head politely. "Thank you Annabell." He was a little surprised she hadn't asked about the fingers, or his eye for that matter. A lot of adults didn't have that kind of self restraint, not caring that the memories their questions stirred were painful ones so long as their curiosity was sated. "Do you make flower jewelry for the other kids?" He asked casually and watched her stiffen uncomfortably.

"No." Annabell said after a moment fixing her gaze on the grass again.

"They're kinda mean huh?" Bull made an educated guess. He still remembered being that small. For years, he'd actually been the smallest in his unit, and that, among other things, had made him a target for bullies both in his own group and from other groups.

"Yeah." Annabell agreed, relieved that he seemed to understand, hadn't just dismissed her answer, and most of all hadn't told her she should play with them instead of sitting by herself. "They tease me a lot." She said softly.

"Yeah," Iron Bull muttered as he scratched at his stubbled chin. "I remember getting teased a lot." He chuckled when Annabell turned wide disbelieving eyes on him. "What? I was small once. Long time before you were born, but I was your size for awhile." He shifted positions and patted his lap as she came over with a small bunch of flowers clutched in her tiny fist. Annabell hesitated only for a moment before sitting down. She wriggled around a bit, getting comfy with the leather belt against her back. Seeing an opportunity to shift the subject, Bull said quietly. "Do you want to know what they teased me about?"

"Yes," Annabell answered, then hurried to add, "But only if you want to talk about it."

The Iron Bull smiled at her kindness. She was a sweet kid. It was easy to see why Cole was going to such unusual extremes to try and help her. Maybe Cole was trying to help him too, Bull thought briefly, and tucked the notion away to consider it later. "I don't mind, but...you have to keep it secret okay?"

Annabell shot him a puzzled frown over one shoulder. "How come?"

"Well, I've got a reputation to keep. If people find out I'm afraid of something, it could hurt my reputation." When she continued to frown at him, he asked, "Do you know what a reputation is?"

The frown became an indignant scowl, and he had to hold back a laugh as she spoke very proudly. "I'm eight and a half, and I'm not stupid. A reputation is what other people think of you."

Bull contained his laugh, adopting an expression of chagrin. "My apologies Annabell."

For a few seconds, she continued to frown indignantly, then her expression softened. ". . .alright. I accept your apology." She replied formally, enjoying the respect he showed her to no end. "I won't tell anyone. I promise." She said it very solemnly, still watching him over one tiny shoulder. "Even if mommy asks, I'll tell her, I can't say because I promised The Iron Bull that I wouldn't tell anyone. I don't think she'll ask though."

Bull chuckled softly. "Probably not. Thanks for remembering the The." He brushed the hair back from her face as she turned her head back to the flowers she had picked. "Alright, so...best way to say it is to probably tell you the story of what happened to make me so afraid of this thing. You ok with that?" Kids liked stories, he thought as she nodded. "Alright, when I was real little, even smaller than you, there was this Saarebas, hrm, do you know what a Saarebas is?" She shook her head. "They're Qunari mages. Like circle mages, but the Qun keeps them under even closer watch. Instead of a bunch of Templars watching a bunch of mages, you have one Arvaarad whose only job is to watch over a single Saarebas."

"And the Sorry-boss is a kind of mage." Annabell repeated, making sure she understood the first word as she tied two flowers together.

"Right." Bull smiled at her effort to pronounce the Qunlat word. "So, back to the story. There was this Saarebas who was passing through near where I lived. Still don't know why, but some of the other kids I grew up with thought it would be a good idea to sneak off and get a look at the Saarebas 'cause we'd never seen one. We just knew they were dangerous and generally kept isolated.

"We waited until our Tama was distracted dealing with some of the other kids, then we slipped off. People were talking about the Saarebas all over, trying to avoid being anywhere nearby, so it wasn't hard to find him. He was in chains, and the Arvaarad was leading him by a leash attached to a collar around his throat.

"I don't know if it was seeing us watching from a side street, or if we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, but when we saw him and he saw _us_ , something happened." He paused for dramatic effect and because Annabell had started to shiver a little. "You sure you want to hear the rest?" He asked softly, a warm hand resting gently over her entire shoulder to ease her trembling.

"Yes." Annabell whispered calming a little at his comforting touch. She had a feeling where the story was going, but she wanted to hear it from him. When he didn't continue promptly enough, she asked very quietly. "What happened to the Sorry-boss?"

The Iron Bull licked his lips as the memory came sharply into focus for him. He still remembered the howl of terrified pain and the stitches ripping through the man's lips. "These green flames erupted around him. The Arvaarad dropped the leash and drew his sword, but he was surprised, distracted by this pile of gaping kids staring from just a few yards away. He didn't move as fast as he should have." Annabell had twisted half way around to listen, staring up at him with her mouth slightly open as she imagined the events, her flowers forgotten for the moment. "A **demon** took control of him, twisting the Saarebas' body, reshaping it into an abomination. Then..it _looked at us_." Annabell gasped, her tiny hands twisted the hem of her skirt anxiously, but she didn't interrupt, didn't hurry him. "It hadn't been expecting us either, and before it could do anything," he reached out and swept a hand sword like across over Annabell's head. "Thwack! The Arvaarad cut his head off." He lied. She was already scared of demons, and she didn't need the truth of that bloody awful day. Decades had passed, and he still woke up in a cold sweat some nights, remembering their screams. Their blood splattering the stones of the street. Bull took a slow deep breath to steady himself, trying to exhale the memories.

"Just like that?" Annabell whispered, her throat dry.

"Yep." Bull lied his expression still grave. "Demon was dead, but it scared the piss outta me. Ah, don't tell your Tama I said that." Humans were so weird about not wanting their kids to hear or say certain words, he thought.

Annabell smirked. "I've heard worse. How come you call mommy a Tama?"

Bull chuckled. "In the Qun, we don't know our mothers or our fathers. A tamassran raises a group of kids together who are all about the same age. Tama is just what most kids in the Qun call her for short. They're kinda like moms, more like Chantry Sisters though." He explained.

"Oh." Her curiosity sated, Annabell returned to the previous subject. "It was a good story, but you said you were going to tell me what you were scared of that the other kids teased you about."

"So I did." Bull agreed nodding. "You can't guess from the story?" He watched her thinking about it, considering his words.

"You're scared of demons." Annabell said finally, only a hint of uncertainty in her tone. Bull nodded once. "But, the Arva-arvod," she huffed in frustration then continued, "the Templar, he killed the demon."

"He did." Bull agreed nodding again. "I've killed demons myself since then, but," he dropped his deep voice to a whisper, "I'm still scared of them."

Annabell chewed on her lower lip, thinking hard, then whispered back. "But you can kill them. Why would you be scared?" She stared at him doubtfully, suspecting he was being patronizing and wasn't really afraid.

For a moment Bull considered the easy answer; Demons are scary. It was true enough. Annabell was sharp though, and he didn't think that answer would satisfy her, so he told her the whole truth. "Because, demons can get in your head," he whispered tapping his temple. "You can't lie to them or trick them, and if they get in. . ." He grimaced. He was supposed to be helping her not be afraid, and this just felt like it was making things worse. She was trembling again, her whole tiny frame quivering against his leg. "The really important thing you have to remember is that, it's ok to be afraid." He said gently, voice still low, but no longer a whisper. "Fear isn't something you can get rid of, and it's good to be afraid sometimes, but you can't let it make you freeze up. You gotta face what you're afraid of, and fight it. Chop it's head off." He drew a thumb across his throat in a violent gesture.

"But I'm too little." Annabell murmured, tears starting to form in her blue eyes as she curled up and abandoned her flowers.

Bull frowned thoughtfully for a moment, then gave her a little grin. "Yeah, it'd have to be a really small demon for you to chop it's head off." He said trying to make a joke of it. When she didn't smile, he pulled her closer and hugged her tight a moment, then pushed her back a little so he could look at her eye to eyes. "I'll make you a contract. You make flower jewelry for me, and when you get bigger, I'll teach you how to chop the heads off the big ones. Until then, I'll do the chopping for you. Agreed?" He offered her his hand to shake on it.

"But what if it gets in _my_ head? Or Mommy's head?" Annabell whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek, then another down the other.

Bull shifted uncomfortably, but his mind worked quickly. "Is your Tama a mage?" She shook her head. "Good. Are _you_ a mage?" Again she shook her head, and Bull refrained from pointing out that she was young enough still, she might yet become a mage. "Great. You've got nothing to worry about. Non-mages are like," he picked up one of her flowers, "just one of these little petals. Tiny. Easy to miss. Impossible to catch hold of." He demonstrated by trying to pluck one petal with his massive thumb and index finger. It wasn't possible though. "Mages, they're like those great big roses." He pointed toward a rose bush and she turned to look. "Big, bright, very easy to spot. Demons might notice you, might give you bad dreams sometimes, but they can't hurt you like they can hurt mages and Saarebas." Mostly true, he thought, not wanting to add to her fears with talk of blood mages.

"What if I _become_ a mage though?" Annabell asked drawing her knees up to her chin as she stared up at him.

"Then...you'll be like a rose. You ever tried to pick a rose?" He asked grateful he'd pointed to the rose bushes and not one of the alchemical herbs growing in the courtyard.

Annabell shook her head. "No. The gardeners get mad if go near the big flowers."

"Well, roses have thorns. Big sharp ones and little sharp ones that'll surprise you. Mages have thorns too. They learn how to keep demons out of their heads, and if you become a mage, you'll learn too, and I'll still teach you how to chop their heads off." He finished with a smirk that grew into a grin as Annabell giggled and stuck her tiny hand into his bigger one.

"Deal." She said, making it official.

"Deal." Bull agreed. "Now, how about that other flower loop thing?"

Annabell opened up more and more as she worked on tying together flowers, adding each finished one to the Bull's horns when it was complete. For his part, Iron Bull listened attentively as she talked about her life in Skyhold and before. He told her a few more stories of his own childhood, and some cleaned up versions of stories from his life as a mercenary. Now and again, people passing them by gave the pair funny looks, but Annabell's relaxed manner and the growing number of flowers decorating his horns was enough reassurance that most people just smiled, chuckled, and went about their business.

By late afternoon, he had flower jewelry dangling from the base of either horn all the way to the upward bend. Annabell had even made one particularly long chain into a necklace for him, setting it in place while it was still a chain and finishing the last knot while standing behind him.

"I can't find anymore good flowers." Annabell announced, flopping down onto his lap with surprising force for such a small child.

Bull grunted, wincing, but quickly smiled as he shifted her to a less discomforting position. "That's alright. I think I've got plenty. Hey, it's getting a bit late. When does your Tama usually come get you?"

"When the sky gets purple and dark blue, just a little after sunset." Annabell said reaching up to trace the swirling patterns pressed into the leather of his harness with one of her tiny fingers. "We have dinner, then she goes to work at the Herald's Rest."

Iron Bull frowned. "Who stays with you?"

"Nobody." Annabell said, stretching out her little arms to ease the stiffness in her shoulders from hunching over flowers for so long. "I go to bed after dinner. Mommy comes home later, in the middle of the night or a couple of hours before dawn. I don't usually sleep until she's back, but I pretend I do so she won't worry."

"You're a really good kid Annabell." Bull murmured. There wasn't much he could do for her or her mother, but he'd talk to the Inquisitor and Josephine. There weren't many kids at Skyhold, but they needed more structure than was currently set up, and Annabell's mother couldn't be the only one who was struggling. Hadn't Cullen mentioned something about trying to get compensation set up for the families of those who died serving the Inquisition? He'd have to ask.

"Oh! Ah, . . uh. Annabell, you haven't, ah, been bothering Bull have you?" A woman's voice drew Bull from his heavy thoughts. She sounded confused, a little worried, but also like she was trying very hard not to laugh.

"Mommy!" Annabell scrambled to her feet.

"She wasn't bothering- Destiny?" Bull stared in recognition. When Annabell had said her mother worked at the Herald's Rest, he'd thought she served drinks. In the dimming light of day, color rose in the woman's cheeks as Annabell glanced from her to him.

"You know mommy? Did she serve you drinks?" She asked curiously.

Drinks? No. Not exactly, Bull thought. "Yeah." He answered easily, quickly finding his balance in the situation. "Speaking of drinks, I could do with one." Slowly, he climbed to his feet flower jewelry swinging with each motion. "See you later ma'am. Bye Annabell."

"Goodbye The Iron Bull! I won't forget my promise!" Holding her mother's hand, she called after his retreating figure, then excitedly began recounting one of the stories he'd told her earlier.

Bull was less surprised than usual when Cole appeared and fell into step beside him as he made his way to the Herald. "You untangled so many knots The Iron Bull." Cole said happily. "I tried, but it's hard to help children. They see _more_ than grown ups."

"Glad I could help." Bull said, hesitating only a moment before asking. "Does she know about Dest-, her mother, what she does at the Herald?"

"Yes. She's very smart. She sees and hears. But, she pretends not to know to make her mother happy. So many knots." Cole sighed.

"Yeah." Bull agreed sourly.

An hour later, Destiny found him in his usual spot in the tavern, drinking with a look of deep thought on his scarred face, but when she approached him he smiled warmly. She spoke tentatively. "Uhm...about earlier..." Her blue eyes, the same bright summer sky blue as Annabell's, flicked nervously to the nearest drinkers.

"We can go upstairs if you want to talk in private." Bull offered.

"I'll do anything you want, please, just don't-" Destiny started her gaze returning to him with no less anxiety.

"Whoa." Bull held up a hand in a stop gesture. "Just talk. Nothing else." Her shoulders lowered slightly as she relaxed and nodded.

"Have fun Chief!" Krem called from the bar where he was sharing a drink with the recruit from earlier. He was more than a little puzzled when Bull ignored the comment as he headed upstairs a drink in one hand, but the other at his side instead of around the woman accompanying him.

"Sorry about that." Bull apologized quietly on the stairs.

"Oh, no, it's alright. It's just what they expect. He said that last time too." Destiny said quietly, then cleared her throat.

"Did he? I guess I was distracted." Bull said with a chuckle that turned awkward as he caught sight of her eyes and thought of Annabell. Destiny led him into a room and closed the door behind them. "So, what'd you want to talk about?"

"Annabell, she..." Destiny chewed on her lower lip, her brows drawing together in thought as she tried to find the words.

"She doesn't know. I get it. I won't tell her." Bull lied easily. "I mean, I don't get _why_ humans are so hung up about sex, but I get that they are." He watched her relax a little bit more.

"Actually, I was going to say, she's my daughter, but I'd like to keep that information quiet. Some men, they don't like the idea of sleeping with a mother, and we need the money." Destiny explained, then continued quickly, trailing a hand lightly along his jaw. "I can't pay you in gold, but we can come to some arrangement surely."

Clearing his throat, Bull caught hold of her hand and drew it away gently. "I'm a mercenary, not a black mailer. You don't want people to know, that your business. Nobody will hear it from me." He didn't think he would ever understand quite why humans were so awkward about who had sex with who, but he recognized the difficult position that view was putting her in.

"Thank you," Destiny looked relieved. "I am a little curious why you were talking to her in the first place though? I didn't think you liked children. You seem to avoid them when you're around the keep," Destiny said surprising him a little. Bull had thought he'd been fairly subtle about keeping clear of the children.

"Ah, that's just because most parents don't want their kids being converted to the Qun or some stupid shit. I don't convert. I'm just a mercenary, but..eh...Someone noticed she was struggling a bit. Scared of demons, and after Haven, who can blame her?" Bull explained with a shrug of his broad shoulders.

"Ah." Destiny said with a nod of understanding. "She's tough, like her father, always trying to act like everything's alright." A small sad smile tugged at her lips, but she shook it off. "I'd also like to know about this promise Annabell made to you. She won't tell me a thing about it."

"Oh, that. It was nothing really. I told her I was scared of demons too, but asked her not to tell anyone. We just talked, and she made a _lot_ of those flower things for me." Bull said with an easy smile.  
Destiny laughed, not the bubbly bright laugh when some drunk told a lousy joke, but a sweet rich laugh. "I noticed. She used to, to make them for her father too. He was such a sweet man, though he didn't look it at first glance." Destiny wiped quickly at her eyes before the tears could properly form.

"He died in Haven?" Bull inquired softly while settling on the edge of the bed because there was nowhere else to sit.

"Yes. Fighting those...those horrible Red Templar _things_." Destiny said finally managing to fight down her tears as she hugged herself.

"I'm sorry he was one of the ones who didn't make it. Do you not have any family, friends who could help you?" Bull asked, and she shook her head silently. He'd figured she didn't, but had asked to make sure.

"No. I have a cousin in Antiva, but...we could never afford to travel so far, and he's not the sort of person to raise a child around." Destiny finished quietly.

Offering her his hand, Bull said, "Listen, I don't know yet what I can do to help, but I'm going to talk to the Inquisitor tomorrow. See if we can figure something out." Her eyes brightened as she took his hand stepping a little closer. All he did was give her a reassuring squeeze and a smile as he continued to speak. "You can't be the only ones struggling to recover from Haven. I mean, the _whole_ Inquisition is still reeling from that blow, but those men, all those people there, they died fighting for the Inquisition. That means something. The Inquisitor's a good person. Somebody will figure something out to help." He said confidently.  
"I don't know how I can thank you." Destiny murmured wrapping her arms around his neck and sinking down a little to hug him tightly.

Chuckling a bit, Bull wrapped a warm arm around her to return the hug. When she didn't pull away after a moment, he wrapped his other arm around her too and pulled her down so she was sitting on his thigh. "How about you tell me your real name?" He offered. Despite years living as a Tal Vashoth, he'd never personally known of a woman in her line of work with kids. Maybe it was because it put some men off, so they kept quiet about it, he though silently.

"Lenore." She answered finally pulling away a little bit.

"Lenore? Very pretty. Much nicer than Destiny." Bull said with a smile. Before he could offer to leave, she was pressing in, her lips claiming his own in a kiss that made his eye widen in surprise. Large hands clasping gently to her smaller shoulders he pushed her back. "Whoa there. Not that I don't appreciate the enthusiasm, but you don't have to do that. I'm not helping you so you'll sleep with me for free. I'm just doing what's right."

Lenore smiled, her blue eyes bright with gratitude and affection. "I know. You're a good man Bull." He considered her words for a moment, then grinned.

"Ha, alright then. So long as we're clear, but..." Bull hesitated thinking of Annabell lying alone and waiting for Lenore to return.  
"What is it?" Lenore asked her brows drawing together in worry.

"Annabell." Bull said, and when Lenore's shoulders sank and she started to pull away, he held her close adding quickly. "Don't get the wrong idea. You're gorgeous, but she..she told me she doesn't sleep when you're away. She pretends to so you won't worry." He didn't like adding to her burdens, but this was something she needed to know.

Lenore bit her lower lip, torn up inside by his information. "I...Maker...I have to work. We'll starve, and I don't have any other real skills."

Bull nodded then offered. "It's not much, but I could pay you to do the washing for the Chargers, 'til you find something else. Don't think I'm giving you charity." He said seeing the pride in her face as she opened her mouth. "My boys train hard, and they get pretty filthy. It'd be a tough job, but you could work during the day and keep Annabell close."

Tears of gratitude rose in Lenore's eyes, spilling down her cheeks as she hugged him tightly, whispering hoarsely. "Thank you Iron Bull. Maker bless you. Thank you!"

The Iron Bull embraced her tightly as he felt the tears fall against his skin. Clearing his throat, he spoke roughly as he struggled with unfamiliar feelings. "You're welcome."

Wiping her tears away, Lenore pulled back and rose from his lap. "I'll start tomorrow." She hesitated a moment, then leaned down and kissed him on the cheek below his eye patch. "Good night Bull."

A smile formed on his stubbled face at the light kiss. "Night Lenore."


End file.
